Slippery yet beautiful trails, high rivers and washed-out bridges offer a spectacular ambience of lush countryside. Captivating sounds of gamelan, the traditional Balinese musical instrument, provide a terrific "bonus" at the end of your day in the colorful mountainsides of Bali. So take your next holiday beyond the ordinary, beyond the beaches and sprawling night clubs, beyond shopping and themed resorts, beyond the trappings of modern life… and step into the mythical landscapes, rich with enthralling beauty and charming rituals.

Delightful Ubud Art Scene

High on the slopes, just around one hour drive from Denpasar, the capital of Bali, Ubud is not only a delightful mountain getaway but also the center of art and culture in Bali. Dozens of art galleries, workshops, boutiques and cute novelty shops, big or small, locally-owned or internationally-owned, adorn every bit of the main streets in Ubud. Just easily stroll down this trendy neighborhood and you're going to want to stop at every shop and every stall you pass!

What's more, artists from all over the world regularly exhibit their work here in Ubud. One of the most popular galleries that regularly show masterpieces from well-known artists is Puri Lempad. This is actually the family residence of Mr. I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, a celebrated painter and sculptor best known for his famous ink drawings of Balinese Hindu scenes. In this house, Mr. Lempad dedicates the spacious front foyer of his house as a gallery initially to display his family collections and also as a creative space for him to paint or sculpt. Lately, the gallery is often rented to conduct various public exhibitions and art events. What's more remarkable, Puri Lempad is always open because the family still lives there. So as long as you visit at reasonable times, you are always welcome here at the Lempad's house. With so many fancy galleries that cater to modern tastes, the Lempad's house continues to carry on a simple yet captivating art tradition as if nothing has changed!

Puri Lempad Bali

Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud, Bali

Phone: +62 (0) 361 - 975618

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

Open daily from 8 AM to 5.30 PM, the Monkey Forest or Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana is a vast 8-hectare forest in the heart of Ubud, occupied by lots of adorable monkeys. An undemanding trail festooned with towering trees presents an easy 30-minute walk around this forest while listening to the calming sounds of nature and watching the monkeys playing blissfully among the green and flourishing branches along the trail. Bananas or rambutan can be bought at the entrance to feed the monkeys. A small reminder however, even though these monkeys are quite friendly, you should be careful when you are carrying a bag of bananas or other treats for them as they can be very insistent to get them from you. Also make sure that you don't wear any accessories, such as earrings, necklaces and bracelets. The monkeys love to get their hands on these!

Monkey Forest

Jl. Monkey Forest

Padangtegal, Ubud, Bali

Phone: + 62 (0) 361 - 971304

Email: info@balimonkey.com

www.balimonkey.com

Exotic Bird Park

Take the opportunity to use your arm or shoulder as a place for birds to land and rest their tired wings. At Bali Bird Park, this is the perfect place to do so. Enjoy around 1,000 vibrant multi-colored birds singing wildly and flying freely from branch to branch, and sometimes briefly land on your arm or shoulder. Located not very far from Ubud, an early morning visit to Bali Bird Park offers a chance to have breakfast in its open-air restaurant while being enlightened by songs of paradise performed personally by the birds. For families with young children, this is definitely the place you don't want to leave out of your itinerary. Open daily from 8 AM to 6 PM.

Bali Bird Park

Jl. Serma Cok Ngurah Gambir

Singapadu, Batubulan, Gianyar
Phone: +62 (0) 361 - 299352

The Spiritual Bedugul

Cold winds blow gently over the fertile land around still dark green waters of Lake Bratan. A Balinese temple, Pura Ulun Danu, soars arrogantly at its side, an architecture representing constant struggles to eternal enlightenment. Its "sister" lakes, the twin Lake Tamblingan and Lake Buyan, sit quietly in a nearby grassy landscape. In a striking combination of beautiful scenery and rich heritage, whether you choose an effortless walk around Lake Tamblingan or a 25-minute canoe trip across Lake Tamblingan to Lake Buyan or a more rigorous hike in the vicinity of Lake Bratan or a visit to the temple to silently chant a solemn prayer, an afternoon trip to the lavish countryside of Bedugul can turn into centuries-old spiritual voyage into the deepest soul you didn't know you had.

Harmonious Village Life of Penglipuran

Set in the midst of Bangli District, 45 Km from Denpasar, Penglipuran Village has become one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in Bali. The ancient village provides a time-capsule vision into the harmonious Bali before it became Bali as we know now. Bali Aga, as they call themselves, literally means Original Bali. This village consists of communities that still practice their old traditions and rituals, as practiced by their ancestors since long before teachings of Hinduism came to the island. Therefore, Penglipuran Village is the only village in Bali that does not recognize the caste system, the pattern of social classes in Hinduism.

All of the houses in the village are neatly structured on a leafy hillside and very clean, each with bright red brick fences around it. Every house also features a traditional kitchen surrounded by bamboo walls, which is separated from the main house, while most of the main houses now have adopted semi-modern styles. Your visit to the village will be warmly welcomed and you can even drop in to each of their houses. Explore the narrow ancient pathways and the down-to-earth characteristics of the people will charm you to death and you can't help falling in love with them. This is the true Bali!

Recommended Museums & Art Galleries

Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA)

Pengosekan, Ubud

Phone: +62 (0) 361-976659

Email: info@armamuseum.com

www.armamuseum.com

Gaya Fusion Of Sense

Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud

Phone: +62 (0) 361-979253, 979252

Email: gaya@gayafusion.com

www.gayafusion.com

Museum Puri Lukisan

Jl. Raya Ubud

Phone: +62 (0) 361-975136, 9711159

Email: museumpl@indo.net.id

www.museumpurilukisan.com

Neka Art Museum

Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud

Phone: +62 (0) 361-975074

Email: info@museumneka.com

www.museumneka.com

Puri Lempad Bali

Jl. Raya Ubud

Phone: +62 (0) 361-975618

The Blanco Renaissance Museum

Campuan, Ubud

Phone: +62 (0) 361-975502

Email: a-blanco@indo.net.id

www.blancobali.com

These following foods from the world cuisine are not only peculiar in their ingredients, but they also appear to be very violent in their preparation and inflict great suffering on animals. Some of the following pictures and videos are pretty graphic, and should be approached with caution. They are included to present visual examples of these types of foods, and to show that these kinds of dishes are not rare in the world, but instead exist daily in many cultures.

1. A Monkey's Brain

The following dish is actually quite a murderous scene, and the ensuing feast can be quite gruesome. A captured monkey is first forcibly pulled to the dining table. The monkey is tightly held with hoops over its hands and legs. One of the diners uses a hammer to knock hard enough to actually create a hole in the live monkey's head. Its cracked skull opens from its head and the diners use a stick of iron rod to extract the monkey's brain. The monkey usually screams terribly before dying near the table.

Some of the more aggressive and "hungry" diners may actually use their spoons to scrape through the bloody monkey's brain, eating in a greedy manner as though they have not eaten in a long time. The diners continue to eat the raw brain completely, often with their fingers and hands covered with smelly blood. Others may prefer to dip the raw brain into a traditional herb soup in order to add to the aroma while eating.

Comment: I personally cannot understand how these people swallow this bloody delicacy with no apparent regret and without nausea. I think that it is unbelievably disgusting to see how they chew hungrily on the bloody brain. While researching this article, I found many videos on this popular custom but I decided that they were just too violently graphic to use, and I decided to spare you the trauma of these painful scenes.

2. A Baby Rodent

This apparent delicacy consists of a newly born rodent, a small selection of seasonal vegetables, and a traditional eating custom. The diner initially uses a special skewer to stab the live rodent. The first "chi" sound is apparently heard as the rodent, who cannot bear the pain of being pierced, squeals as it is impaled on the skewer. As the diner dips the still-live rodent into the boiling oil, the second "chi" sound is said to be heard.

As the well-fried rodent is finally placed into the diner's mouth, the third "chi" sound is allegedly heard one last time. Such a delicacy is actually quite simple, but the diner obviously needs to have certain degree of courage, energy, and very possibly, a real culinary open-mindedness to try it.

Comment: It is perhaps not as disturbing for those who eat this delicacy as compared with those who enjoy preparing this extremely graphic type of food. Maybe they should be put in jail instead for abusing these animals in such a terrible manner. How strange it is to see people laughingly enjoying this cruel delicacy in such a happy mood!

3. Turtle Flesh

This dish begins with a live turtle being covered with appropriate seasonings and herbs, while a pan of water is being heated. As the water begins to warm, the turtle is then put into the water. Due to the extreme heat, the turtle will actually begin to drink the water as its body begins to become cooked by the hot liquid. The cook then allows the turtle to remain alive in the herb soup in order to create a good flavor. As the water gradually becomes hotter, the turtle will begin to struggle helplessly in pain.

Comment: It is really quite disturbing to see a live turtle struggling hopelessly in the extremely hot water. Do humans really have to torture the helpless animal in this manner just to satisfy their own eating instincts?

4. Roasted Duck Legs

Here is another popular food that begins with a live animal. A live duck is placed on a slightly hot frying pan. Prior to this, an appropriate amount of seasonings is rubbed all over the duck's body. Due to the heat of the hot-plate, the duck will obviously try to make every attempt to get off of the hot metal, and from time to time, it will try to jump out of the pan.

Finally, the legs will become fully roasted, while its body is still actually alive. The cook will then cut off the duck's legs for them to be placed on a plate to be ready to serve hot to the diner. The remaining part of the duck is then put in the freezer for other future uses.

Comment: This is an extremely disgusting and cruel delicacy when it is viewed from the initial moment of preparation until it is finally served to the diner.

5. Donkey's Meat

This queer delicacy involves eating fresh donkey meat, where the flesh is actually eaten raw without cooking. The diner uses a special fork and spoon to scoop out some of the flesh from the donkey. The meat is then totally dipped into the fresh red blood before it is eaten. According to tradition, the more the diner heard the screaming of the donkey, the more excited they will then be to dine on this delicacy.

Comment: What types of human being are these? They appear to be quite inhumane as they show no benevolence towards the donkey's painful screaming. This unusual eating behavior is among the cruelest in the world's delicacies that I encountered.

6. A Dried Chicken

To make this dish, the cooks need to work fast in order to create it. With the chicken completely alive, they quickly peel off the chicken's feathers, taking out the heart in an astonishingly short time. Later, they fill the chicken's abdomen with seasonings before sewing it up. Finally, they hang it up to dry it out before serving to the diner.

During the preparation, the chicken is still alive, and it will keep on making a noisy sound. It will often struggle violently to get away from the cooks. The cook's hands eventually become totally bathed in large amounts of red blood.

Comment: This chicken has to bear an extremely painful torture as first its feathers and then its heart are removed. The diner eats this dried-alive chicken with apparent pleasure. Indeed, the one time I saw this personally, it caused me to me vomit while looking at the other diners eating it in such a high-spirited mood.

7. A Flesh of Live Shrimp

This seafood dish is not only raw, but served while the shrimps are still alive. First, a cup of Brandy, Whiskey or Vodka is poured onto the live Shrimps. Then, the diner eats these live shrimp, apparently with great excitement.

Comment: This seems simply disgusting, and although it looks harmless, I was still shocked and disgusted by this peculiar eating habit.

8. Grilled Unborn Lamb

First, an entire pregnant female goat is butchered and thrown onto a charcoal fire to burn until it turns a golden brown color. When it is entirely baked, the cook will then cut through its abdomen to take out the cooked, unborn lamb from inside its mother's body. It is said that in this manner, the softness of the young lamb can offer the diner an especially pleasing taste.

Comment: This is another delicacy that just seems tasteless.